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Bears rally to force OT but lose to Cowboys 69-67

By MURRAY EVANS Associated Press

Posted:
02/07/2013 12:39:58 AM EST

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Baylor guard Pierre Jackson, right, looks past Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart, left, for an open teammate during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stillwater, Okla., Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013. Jackson scored 24 points in the 67-69 loss to Oklahoma State.

STILLWATER, Okla.—It was an off-hand comment by Baylor coach Scott Drew, but it summarized the mood of his team Wednesday night.

"You'll sleep better tonight than I will," Drew said as he was leaving his postgame press conference.

The Bears rallied from 14 points down to force overtime, twice led No. 22 Oklahoma State by three points in the extra period and had the ball with a chance to win in the final 10 seconds—and still lost.

Oklahoma State's Michael Cobbins blocked a shot by A.J. Walton and Markel Brown grabbed the basketball and steamed toward the other basket, laying it in with two-tenths of a second left to give the Cowboys a 69-67 win.

"I think everybody saw a great game for TV," Drew said.

Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford, right, celebrates with fans following an NCAA college basketball game against Baylor in Stillwater, Okla., Wednesday, Feb. 06, 2012. Oklahoma State defeated Baylor 69-67. ((AP Photo/Brody Schmidt))

"It was a typical Big 12 game—two teams battling out there. It stinks to be on this end of it. I'm proud of the guys, how we fought back and gave ourselves a chance to win. Credit Oklahoma State for making a big block and having the court awareness to get a shot at the other end."

Baylor (14-8, 5-4 Big 12) lost its third straight game, its longest losing streak since dropping six straight games in 2009. Pierre Jackson, the Big 12's leading scorer, had 24 points, 16 of those in the game's final 12 1/2 minutes, and added eight assists to pad his conference lead in that category. But he also committed 11 of the Bears' 16 turnovers.

"I think I played a horrible first half," Jackson said. "I didn't take care of the ball at all, but I have great teammates.

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They kept me positive throughout the whole game. I was able to knock down some big shots. I just needed to do something for my team. I didn't provide much early. There was eventually a time when they called on me and I tried to deliver."

Marcus Smart scored 14 points, albeit on 4-of-21 shooting, and Brown added 13 for Oklahoma State (16-5, 6-3), which extended its winning streak to four games despite shooting 36.1 percent from the field (26 of 72) and 14.3 percent from 3-point range (3 of 21).

"It was just a very gutsy performance by our guys," Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. "I thought they hung in there. We've figured out some crazy ways to win games lately."

Crazy would be an apt term to describe the game's frantic final moments. Cobbins blocked Walton's shot attempt with about six seconds left.

"I figured we had come too far to just give up a layup right there at the end," Cobbins said. "I just went up and tried to get it and thank God I got it."

The ball found its way to Brown, who raced to the other end.

"I was just trying to beat the clock, as fast as I can," Brown said.

Ford said Brown—who went 4-of-17 from the field—made the right play.

"I was hoping he would get to the rim, because so many players pull up," Ford said. "So many players don't think they have enough time. But you've got more time than you think you do."

Brown intercepted a desperation inbounds pass by Baylor's Jacob Neubert to end the game.

Drew said he had no problem with Walton's shot that was blocked.

"The look was good," Drew said. "I think we just gave them a little too much time."

The Bears had won three straight and eight of their last 12 games against Oklahoma State before Wednesday.

The Cowboys started 1-of-13 from the field before rallying for a 24-22 halftime lead. They trailed 32-28 when Le'Bryan Nash, who had gone scoreless in the first half, made his second basket in the first three minutes after halftime.

That ignited a 12-2 run, capped by an alley-oop dunk, with Smart lobbing to Brown with 13:40 left to make it 40-34 and igniting a roar from the Gallagher-Iba Arena crowd.

Oklahoma State extended its lead to 54-40 on a 3-pointer by Phil Forte with 7:40 left—the Cowboys' first of the game. But Jackson had two 3s and a layup during a 17-3 run by the Bears. Cory Jefferson hit a lay-in with 1:52 left to tie the game at 57.

Smart, who went 4-of-21 from the field, hit a 6-foot leaner with 1:23 left to put the Cowboys back ahead, but Jackson made two free throws with 6.5 seconds left. The Cowboys had a chance to win at the regulation buzzer, but Brown missed a 3-point attempt from the left wing.

Jackson opened the overtime with a pair of 3-pointers and the Bears were up 67-64 after a dunk by Jefferson with 1:46 left. Forte's 3-pointer with 1:11 left pulled the Cowboys even.

Jackson dribbled the ball out of bounds with 43.5 seconds left, but Smart missed a contested shot from underneath the basket with 15 seconds left, setting the stage for the final sequence.

Nash scored 10 points and Cobbins had nine points, 13 rebounds and two blocks for the Cowboys. Jefferson added 18 points for Baylor while Isaiah Austin had 12 rebounds go to with seven points—more than seven below his scoring average.